Monday, March 12, 2018

UNB At The University Cup

The University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds will open their 2018 University Cup on Thursday night at the AUC when they face the Conordia Stingers at 7PM. This will be their 17th appearance all-time at the tournament, including their 15th since 1997 and 12th under head coach Gardiner MacDougall.

- UNB will be looking to become the first team to three-peat since the 1978-1980 Alberta Golden Bears.

- The V-Reds have also played in three consecutive finals and four out of the last five. The 1977-1980 Golden Bears are the last team to reach four consecutive finals.

- The Varsity Reds 7 championships and 12 championship games rank 3rd to Alberta (15 and 20) and Toronto (13 and 10) all-time.

- Their 5 championship game losses are tied with Alberta and Saint Mary's for 2nd most all-time. Saskatchewan holds the dubious distinction of losing 6 championship games.

- The V-Reds have won 6 titles and appeared in 8 title games in the last 11 years.

- They have appeared in the final in 9 out of their last 10 appearances at the tournament.

- UNB has a 0.750 winning percentage all-time at the University Cup. They are 33-11 in 44 career games, including an astounding 26-6 record under Gardiner MacDougall.

- This includes 18 wins in their last 20 games and 23 wins in their last 26 games.

- They have out-scored the opposition 176-107 in those games.

- UNB has recorded 7 shut-outs at the University Cup. They have never been shut-out.

- They are 6-2 all-time in games decided in overtime.

- This is the 5th time UNB will enter the tournament as the top seed. In the four previous instances they finished 1st (1998), 2nd (2008), 1st (2011), and 3rd (2012).

- They will have now been the top seed in three of the six tournaments they have hosted.

- In the previous five University Cups hosted by UNB they have finished 4th (2003), 2nd (2004), 1st (2011), 3rd (2012), and 1st (2017).

- The Varsity Reds will be playing the Concordia Stingers for the first time ever at the University Cup. Their all-time University Cup record against the other participants is 1-0 against Brock, 1-0 against McGill, 2-0 against Acadia, 4-5 against Alberta, 5-0 against Saskatchewan, and 1-1 against St. FX.

- Next season the University Cup will head out west for the first time since 2013-2014 when the Lethbridge Proghorns host for the first time. The following year it is back in the Maritimes with Acadia playing host to the 2020 tournament in Halifax.